1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill was left surprised and disappointed by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s snobbery, when the Austrian insisted that Max Verstappen’s new record is just “for Wikipedia”.
The reigning World Champion claimed his 10th consecutive victory of 2023 on Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix to eclipse Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine wins in a row, set in 2013.
Verstappen’s 10th consecutive win also marked his 12th of the season overall, with his lead in the Drivers’ Championship now sitting at 145 points.
Most believe Verstappen could actually go onto win every remaining race this season, which would see his winning streak extend to 18 races, whilst it’d take him to 20 wins for the year.
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Wolff was asked after the race about Verstappen’s record-breaking achievement, which resulted in a blunt response from the clearly frustrated Mercedes boss.
“It’s for Wikipedia, nobody reads that anyway,” Wolff bluntly told Sky Sports F1.
Hill was left disappointed by Wolff for being “not very gracious”, with the ex-F1 driver insisting that he’s normally “very sporting”.
This certainly didn’t come across at Monza, where George Russell and Lewis Hamilton claimed fifth and sixth.
Given how Red Bull are very much the dominant team now and not Mercedes, Hill believes Wolff is “hurting”, as he knows the feeling of being the superior outfit.
Whilst Red Bull are claiming wins with ease, Mercedes are struggling to even claim a rostrum.
It’s been four races now since the Silver Arrows claimed a podium, leaving Hill to think that Mercedes don’t know what to do.
“It sounded a bit churlish and not very gracious, and unlike Toto because he’s usually very sporting,” Hill told Sky Sports News.
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“I think he’s hurting a bit now. They know what it’s like to be dominated and they didn’t even get on the podium.
“They seem to be a bit stymied and can’t seem to work out what to do, but who can? Ferrari did a great job in Monza – it suited their car, I think – but it seems like everywhere we go, the Red Bull has got the upper hand and we’ve just got to sit and watch this unfold.
“Can Red Bull win every race in the season? That’s not beyond the realms of possibility.”